The Priest and the Vampire
by Brandonia666
Summary: Luffy's a priest, Zoro's a vampire. What happens when fate ties them irrevocably together? Is love really love if you never had a choice? Or was there always a choice and you just chose without thinking? (ZoroXLuffy)
1. The Conqueror of War

**1: The Conqueror Of War**

* * *

 _ **Luffy's Point Of View**_

You are all here for one purpose; to lend your strength in our battle against the heathenness vampires! This is a century old war that we, the priests, must win! You will be tested, and I'm not going to lie, some of you will die before you even get to the battlefield." His voice was somber as he said this, but he went on to talk about how the rewards were greater than the loss of a few lives.

 _I don't want to be here. I didn't sign up for this._ I thought to myself as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. I looked around the auditorium we stood in. At least one hundred men had their eyes glued to the stage. This place used to be a place of learning, a school. Plays were done here, children laughed with glee, mothers cried in pride. This was a sanctuary to some and a boring time-sucker to others. In my mind, it was as though we were standing in a church, the sacrilege, the injustice of it all. We were about to go out and kill vampires, which I hated the thought of to begin with, and this man was making it sound as though it was a glorious task.

Since when did I become a person who did things he didn't want to? I fight for the feel of adrenaline in my veins, for the pride of others, and, above all else, to make myself stronger. Strong enough to protect… To protect…

"And now, I present to you, someone you should all have heard tell of. The hero. The Conqueror Of War. Monkey D. Luffy!" My attention snapped back to the man at the sound of my name. He acted as though I was some legendary something-or-other. Like I wasn't just a nineteen-year-old brat who didn't know how _not_ to fight. In his eyes, in everyone's, I was a warrior. One of the few who had survived more than one battle. Hell, I'd been in countless battles for all number of reasons, but this one… This one pissed me off. Made my blood boil. This one wasn't my choice. I didn't give a shit about vampires. I'd never met one, who was I to assume they were all bad?

People revered me for my feats, and now they wanted to use me like a loaded gun. I was at my limit and the first ass I was gonna kick would be that loud-mouthed bastard Lucci. Priest my ass, he was the devil.

I'd always fought because I wanted to, and here I was about to tell a bunch of poor farmers who'd been drafted into the godforsaken war to go die like dogs because it was _the right thing to do_. Fuck that weird-bearded freak! I shot him a glare as I stepped on the tiny platform that'd been used as a stage. Him and his freaky-ass pigeon could go straight to hell.

He was taller than me and wore a black suit and a white tie. Oh, how I'd dreamed of wringing his tan little neck with that spotless cloth he kept tied there. His tan cloak that signified his place as captain hung loosely on his shoulders, as though it could be shed at any given moment and he would throw himself into battle. His pigeon sat on his right shoulder, its beady eyes following my every move. He was the one that tracked me down and dragged my ass here, kicking and screaming. And now, without the consent of his superiors, he was using these fine people filling this room as a threat. I help, or they die.

I took my place in front of the microphone and opened my mouth to speak.


	2. The Words That Move Me

**2: The Words That Move Me**

* * *

 _ **Zoro's Point of View**_

"None of you want to be here, at least, I know I don't care for this fight. Your faces are masks of death and your hands will soon be covered in the blood of the lives you've taken." He spoke earnestly, honest to a fault. I was drawn in by the man's voice coming through the black speakers surrounded by a wooden frame that sat in the lap of the vampire, Usopp, who sat next to me in the driver seat of the tiny blue car.

"Sir, the connection is finally set. This is the clearest sound we will be able to get out of this old system." Usopp said after tinkering with the dials on the strange device allowing us to listen in a little more. A very brave, very dead officer planted a listening device as a last ditch effort before this place fell to the priests. The brick walls of the school a mere twenty yards away but were as good as the Great Wall of China to us. If we attacked them here, we'd lose. There was a fifty-foot fence in between us and the wall anyway, a silver fence with guards circulating it. We wouldn't stand a chance. Our five-minute window of opportunity was closing fast as it is. If we didn't have their plan of attack within the next few minutes, we were screwed.

"It's fine." I mumbled, enthralled in the words the voice was speaking. Whoever was speaking had a strong voice with an almost child-like ring to it.

"Stupid priests don't even know we're listening in on their plans. They'll be blindsided when we're able to easily defeat whatev-"

"Shut up!" I glared at the blonde vampire in the back seat. He was obviously a new recruit and much younger than me. Only immature, new, soldiers spoke with such arrogance. If I remember correctly, his name was Sanji.

"When you're out there, out of bullets with your blade soaked in blood, remember the faces of those you love, remember that this is to save them from starvation." I'd heard that the priests had taken to threatening their recruits with the welfare of their families. They wouldn't sell food to the women and children left behind if the men refused to fight, and since the clergy owned most of the farmers' fields, it wasn't even a difficult task to undertake, and therefore it was an easy threat to give. "Keep your focus on the battle but don't forget that you have something to go back to. A man with love on the line is ten times more dangerous than one without. Don't grow to hate those you protect, trust me, you'll be tempted to, but don't blame them for your having to be here. Blame the people who are really at fault and use that anger to help you end this war and get back to those you love faster." There was a pause, then a giggle from the speaker. "And try to lighten up a little, I know you love to hate this place, but if you focus on that one thought 24/7 you'll miss out on meeting all of the interesting people around you." I could tell he was probably smiling but I felt a hint of sadness in his voice. There was the loud sound of clapping and I hadn't realized I was leaning into the sound of his voice until some other guy started speaking about strategy and I sat up as straight as I could in that little car.

 _His voice pulled me in like none other. How did he do that?_ When he spoke I wanted nothing more than to join him in his effort against my own kind. On the other hand, the man speaking now had me back to my old self and out of my treasonous thoughts.

I looked over at Usopp, who was sitting next to me, to see him writing down their strategy. Usopp was tan and his nose was freakishly elongated. He was also a coward for a vampire, but his ability with electronics more than made up for that.

Sadly, the idiot with curly eyebrows sitting in the back seat was nothing but a pervert and the only reason I brought his ass with me was because he could run faster than any of us, so if something went wrong with the car he'd easily be able to get away with their strategy in hand.

"And with that, I dismiss you." This man got no applause until I heard someone in the background threaten that, "If you assholes don't show General Lucci the appreciation he deserves I'll personally lock your families in the brig for a whole month without food or water." The following applause was sad compared to the one the last speaker received.

And, with the information now in our possession, we fled the outside of their base where we were hidden behind some foliage.


	3. Out of Bullets, Out of Knives

**3: Out of Bullets, Out of Knives**

* * *

 _ **Zoro's Point of View**_

"They tricked us! Those damn priests knew we were listening in, they changed their entire strategy!" I heard that swirly-browed idiot, Sanji, yell. I had one of my swords buried to the hilt in a priest's stomach while the other blocked a thrown dagger from hitting my heart.

"Of course they did, you idiot, there was always a chance it was a trap!" I yelled back through the hilt in my mouth as I ripped my sword from the man's gut and continued to block another dagger from hitting my head.

We'd been battling for so many hours I'd lost count. Slicing, blocking, thrusting, moving on when my opponents' body dropped. There was always someone there to take the place of his fallen comrade, it was an endless cycle and I was so tired of it all. Why was I even fighting? I'd forgotten the reason. I could be in hiding right now, never having to kill again. The sun could almost be seen on the horizon when another surge of adrenaline shot through my veins as more priests came at me. This fight couldn't go on much longer. We either won in the next hour, or we fell back until the next night. Now, instead of dirt, we all walked on the bloody bodies of enemies and comrades alike as we fought for survival. Their spilt blood made the ground slippery as if it had rained. Blood was never thicker than water on the battlefield. They both threatened to make you lose your balance on the slick slide they created.

"Go to hell!" A familiar voice spoke and I turned just in time to block a bullet on my second sword and see the man facing me. He had black messy hair and, unlike most priests in their pitch clothes and tan cloaks, he wore a straw hat, denim shorts, a red vest that left his chest and arms exposed, and sandals. He was tan but that's all I could really tell when it came to how he looked because the shadow of his hat covered his face. I slung the blood off the sword in my right hand and pointed the tip at his throat even though he was just barely out of its reach.

"Why haven't you killed me yet?" His voice echoed in my head drowning out the sounds of battle. The humble hum of the men and vampires dying all around me was just gone as though it were only me and him in this godforsaken field.

"Why aren't you fighting back?" I retorted while wondering why his voice sounded so familiar. It had this child-like edge to it that made me not want to kill him. Made me want to do anything but kill him, including die by his hands, if only it spared me from having to end his life.

He held the gun in his right hand lazily off to the side with his elbow resting on his hip, then opened his vest with his free hand to show over a dozen empty knife holsters sewn on the inside. Lifting his head to reveal his face, he held a smile so big it closed his eyes, and made the scar on his left cheek almost invisible.

"Out of bullets, out of knives, no point continuing if I've got no way to beat anyone." He spoke energetically, as if the fact that he was about to die didn't faze him one bit. "Plus, I'm tired of killing people." His ecstatic smile disappeared as he looked down at his shoes. I couldn't see his eyes but his emotions seemed to wrap around him like a cocoon. They were so obvious in his stance and behavior, and I was surprised to find a burning anger there that wasn't directed at me, but at someone else. At someone he apparently hadn't killed yet. A few tears ran down his face, dripping off his chin.

"Why do you cry over the death of your enemies... Or are you mourning the loss of your comrades." I had no idea as to why I was indulging that human.

"Both, I cry because death is death. It's permanent and always sad, no matter who, or what you are." I looked towards his bare chest, not willing to meet his eyes, as his words seemed to touch my heart. Everyone was dying. When was the last time I had a comrade who survived long enough to actually know me well? When was the last time I wasn't prepared for a fight? When was the last time I didn't strap my swords to my hip at the end of the day? When was the last day I'd slept without dreaming of having those swords buried in the chests of the innocents who were forced to fight in this battle. "I always cry in battle, whether the tears physically come out or not depends entirely upon how many lives I'm forced to end in order to keep my own. But you don't seem like the type to cry in battle, so why are you crying?" His question caught me off guard, I hadn't noticed the tears lazily making their way down my face, and I looked up to see his serious expression and his deep brown eyes. A strange spark ran through my entire being.

"Those eyes." The whisper left me without my consent. His face wore the shock I felt as we looked into each other's eyes... As we gazed into each other's souls.

He was so lonely but so kind. I don't know how I knew, but it was like his feelings were my own. The word monster seemed to come from him, but he wasn't calling me a monster, no, that's what he was calling himself.


	4. Mine!

**4: Mine!**

* * *

 _ **Luffy's Point of View**_

His soul was so strong, so determined to save everyone around him and still come out on top. The want- no, the _need_ to be stronger. To be the greatest there is. To be the strongest there is. To be... to be loved. He wanted nothing more than to be loved instead of feared for once. And he wanted the ability to protect the person who could give him that.

"Fated." His word was just a whisper, but it made no sense to me. Fated for what?

"What do you mean? What was that?" I asked forcefully. What was the race of electricity and hope that had filled me at the sight of those green eyes, at the sound of that deep voice? His blades were sheathed and his body was on top of mine in a matter of seconds, fastening me to the blood-soaked ground, his hands wrapped around my wrists, forcing them to stay pinned to the ground on either side of my head. We were surrounded by the dead, the sounds of battle rang in the air and crimson liquid soaked into my clothes, but I couldn't seem to make myself care. His green piercing eyes stared straight into my own, as if he was trying to tell me something important, but didn't know how.

"Mine!" He leaned in and kissed my neck. I froze in shock. My body wouldn't move like I wanted it to. Did I want it to? Did I want to shove him off of me and find a way to kill him? It felt like electricity came from where he touched me. Like magnets, I moved my head to expose more of my neck, every little shift he made I compensated for. His short green hair brushed my face as I felt teeth sink into the flesh he had previously kissed. Strangely enough, instead of pain, I felt the connection between us grow stronger as he consumed my blood. I was supposed to be angry, I was getting bitten by a vampire, but I wanted more. Who cared that we were meant to kill each other? Who cared that he was the predator and I, the prey? Damn, it felt far too good for me to refuse myself. But I wasn't some scared little boy who just let people push him around, I was a fighter through-and-through. A twist of my hips and he had to let go of my neck in order to focus on staying on top of me.

The battle was still raging, people were still dying all around us, but I felt so safe with him. His eyes said he thought I was trying to escape, like I would deny myself this. I didn't have good self-control on the best of days, and today was definitely _not_ the best of days.

"Die wretched demon spawn!" In a split second he had released me entirely, a quiet whimper escaped me as the cold battle replaced the warmth that had surrounded me just seconds ago, but he had already grabbed the scythe swinging towards his head as he crouched over me, and crushed it in his right hand, ignoring how the silver of the blade burned his skin.

I looked up as the shards of blade clattered to the ground like broken glass, to see the man standing before us was Lucci, the one who had introduced me to the troops that first day on stage. The one I wanted dead more than anything. Though the taking of my blood felt good, I was now exceedingly weak, meaning I couldn't kill the bastard then and there. My vision blurred and I felt reality start to slip away from me, a pitch blackness taking its place.

"What have you done to him you foul beast?!" I heard Lucci demand. Through the slits of my eyelids I saw him draw a dagger from his cloak. The vampire drew one of his three swords as my eyes closed. The clash of metal could be heard before I lost consciousness.


	5. My Fated's 'Protector'

**5: My Fated's _Protector_**

* * *

 _ **Zoro's Point of View**_

 _Crap! I got too carried away. I took too much from him._ Was all I could think as I fought off the attacks of an annoying priest. His massive silver scythe had already been broken, but he seemed intent on using his tiny daggers to keep the fight going. He wanted me dead, but that was just fine with me, I was chomping at the bit to disconnect his head from his shoulders anyway. The only thing really holding me back was the thought that maybe the priest I was so resolute on protecting might not actually want him dead.

He was strong. Strong enough to hold his own against me. Our blades struck each other at an increasing rate, sparks bouncing off the steel of my blade and the silver of his. Our footwork moved together yet against each other at the same time as we each tried to outmatch one another. I tried to keep the younger priest behind me. The look in his eyes before he passed out told me that this was probably the man he wanted dead, but what if I was wrong? It was a wasted effort as we had switched places multiple times and eventually he was standing defensively in front of the younger priest as if to protect him.

"Why do you go to such lengths to kill one priest? Is our extinction that important to you?!" He asked, out of breath, though his stance was as strong as ever. He thought I wanted to kill that beautiful creature he seemed so set on _saving_. Like hell.

"It's not like that. You wouldn't understand so just get out of my way." I was just as breathless. Why did the bastard seem so intent on protecting a man who most likely wanted him dead? Why couldn't he go save some other priest from some other vampire? Preferably one who was actually trying to kill his opponent.

"Never!" A stray bullet from the battle that surrounded us hit my right shoulder, stunning me enough to make me lower my sword. It wasn't a big opening, but it was enough. My fated's _protector_ slashed me across the chest with his dagger, his other hand raised to use his second dagger to deliver the death stroke straight to my head.

He was about to give that final blow when he froze and looked down at his feet. I followed his gaze to see my young priests hand on the man's ankle as he whispered the word, "No!" softly but firmly.

I used this distraction to shove my shoulder into the man's chest, successfully knocking him off his feet. Quickly twisting around, sheathing my sword and wrapping my arms around the young priest so as to carry him bridal-style, I ran as fast as I could back to the vampire base. The bastard tried to follow but was quickly forced into another battle as I heard his struggling grunts and the sound of his blades being otherwise engaged. He yelled something at me the sounded an awful lot like, bloodthirsty piece of shit, but I kept pressing forward, dodging falling bodies and pointless fights. I couldn't get swept up in the fight, I had to get the man in my arms somewhere safe.


	6. Roronoa Zoro

**6: Roronoa Zoro**

* * *

 _ **Luffy's Point of View**_

I awoke in some kind of underground dwelling, lying on a fairly under-toned bed. The caramel sheets were soft, and the brown blanket warm, but that was it, they weren't silken or expensive in any way, they were just enough to get the job done. The full-sized mattress was firm but soft enough to be comfortable, and I felt I could lay there forever.

Grey stones that came in every shape and size made up the room and were made lighter by the five candles that were held by a simple iron chandelier and whose warm light illuminated the room and gave off a homey feel. I sat up slowly, my head still spinning slightly from the blood loss, and pushed myself up till I was propped up against the simple wooden headboard. Looking around the room I saw a heavy metal door across from me and in the corner to the right of me was a mahogany desk piled high with paperwork.

On the floor to my left was the green-haired vampire who was unwrapping bandages around a very deep, very bloody, wound across his chest. The stitches that kept the ripped flesh together were crooked and crude, blood thicker than any I'd ever seen before leaked here and there, but not badly enough to cause for concern. A childish giggle escaped me.

"What's so funny?" He demanded, keeping his eyes glued to the task at hand as if I had insulted him. His fingers continued to fiddle with the loose wrappings.

"Nothing, it's just..."

"Just what?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow. Even his eyebrows were green, what was he born in a moss field?

"Those bandages aren't going to do squat if you don't leave them on, and you'll probably bleed out and die without them." I rambled out, the thought of his death brought a bad taste to my mouth. His tan face flushed pink as he looked down at the loose wrappings as though he were fighting some inner war.

I slowly climbed out of the bed, ignoring the lightheaded feeling the movement brought on, and walked over to the vampire who must have brought me here, sitting down in front of him. He finally looked at me, but it was as if he were afraid I would pass out again at any second. I grabbed his hands, which were still messing with his bandages and moved them to rest on his criss crossed legs, ignoring the strange sparks of energy that seemed to come from him and go into me. Then I started working on fixing his wrappings. I was never much good at patching up wounds, but he wasn't going to do it.

"Wow, you really got yourself hurt out there, didn't you Mister." I tried to make light conversation. He didn't seem like some angry, volatile monster to me, so why would I be afraid of him.

"Yeah... Uh, um... Zoro." His voice was deep but still held a nervous pitch.

"What?"

"My name, it's Zoro. Roronoa Zoro, but you can call me Zoro." He said as I finished with his bandages, he didn't try to unravel them this time.

"Well then, Zoro, I'm Monkey D. Luffy, but you can call me Luffy." I said with a smile whilst reaching out my hand. He shook it cautiously and I felt the grin stretching across my face.

"You're strange for a priest." Zoro said after a short pause, his hand still clasping mine, satisfying electricity flowing between us, it felt warm, comforting. I pulled away.

"And you're strange for a vampire." I rested my hands in my lap and he did the same. "Anyway, the reason I'm different is 'cause I'm not a priest. Actually, technically I am, but that's just 'cause of this stupid war. I withstood the training to become a priest because I was forced, not because I wanted to." I responded earnestly, the smile never leaving me while I looked curiously around the little room again. There was a door I had missed that was right next to the bed. It was cracked and from what I could tell it was a shower room. Roronoa Zoro didn't seem like he saw going to hurt me, in fact, he seemed rather nice, strong.

"Oh, so you must be one of the commoners whose hands the priests chose to bloody." The disgruntled look on his face brought a whole slew of questions to mind, but I ignored them.

"Nope!" I said enthusiastically. "I'm..." Giving a dramatic pause, I puffed out my chest and spoke in the deepest voice I could manage. "The Conqueror of War!" I announced.


	7. The Choices We Make

**7: The Choices We Make**

* * *

 _ **Zoro's Point of View**_

 _Why is his voice so familiar?_ I thought as he began to describe how he got that particular nickname by winning three wars through defeating the opposing sides strongest fighters single handed and how he helped fight in six smaller battles. He was apparently seen as something of a powerhouse when it came to kicking ass.

"But the government won't allow me to go by the name the commoners gave me 'cause they say it's blasphemy to call any one but the King the _King of Death_." He giggled as I stared at him, stunned.

"Hold on, _you're_ the King of Death?!" I asked incredulously.

"Oops, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. Let's keep this between us, 'kay?" He was so trusting of me, a vampire. The thing he went out on that battlefield to kill. No wonder he didn't seem to have a problem with me being a vampire, he himself was seen as a monster, a demon for his strength.

"But you're so scrawny, you're like a whole foot shorter than me, and you're probably the skinniest healthy person I've ever met! No way in hell are you the King of Death! That guy's supposed to be a strong man, not some kid!" I watched his smile grow smug, and he stuck out his tongue at me.

"I am who I am and you'll just have to accept that." The smile never left his face. He was a killer, a murderer, a warrior, but somehow he was also a dumb kid who's far too trusting for his own good.

"...So, you're the King of Death, eh?"

"I didn't want to be, I just wanted to protect the people who're precious to me. But now they're all dead, so I'm not really sure what to do next..." He kept the childish look in his eyes, but there was a deeper shadow of pain hidden there. "Anyway, now you know my secret. You wanna tell me yours?" He asked, back to his old, energetic self. "I mean, it's only fair, a secret for a secret and all."

"What do you want to know?" A grin pulled at my lips, I couldn't remember the last time I was this content just talking to someone.

"Everything." That didn't exactly sound like the whole fair thing he'd been blabbing about, but whatever.

"Well, I was turned about a century ago, at the start of this war. My creator wasn't my fated so I have no clue what my life was like before that point. Anyway-" I figured the beginning was a good place to start, but he cut me off.

"Fated?" I wondered if he was really the curious type. He seemed a bit on the dull side for that.

"Wait, you don't know what fated people are?!" What the fuck? I needed to start way sooner than the beginning if that was the case.

"No, that's why I asked Zoro." I sighed while he was on the edge of a pout, it's like he knew I was just considering his intelligence was lacking.

"You're trusting me and you don't even know why... Shit. Okay, every person on this planet is fated for someone else. They're two halves of a whole. Most of the time they never meet, or they will meet but won't sense the connection between them strongly enough to follow it. It's different for vampires, we immediately know who our fated is when we look into their eyes. Even the sound of their voice can have an effect on us." I remembered in that instant where I knew his voice from. That childlike echo over the speakers. The man who made me want to turn traitor if only for an instant, if only to spare his life. "And," I continued without missing a beat. "if a human is transformed into one of us by their fated they are able to retain all of the memories from their human years. In the end, only one of a fated vampire couple can remember who they were before. Do you understand now?"

"Kinda, it's a mystery connection, right?" I sighed but nodded in affirmation. "Zoro, who's your fated?" I stared at him incredulously.

"You, of course!" The words came flying out of my mouth before I could find a less… _pointed_ way of saying them. This wasn't something you throw at someone and hope for a good result. Then again, I had a habit of doing things the wrong way.

He stared at me, dumbstruck.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm a guy." He spoke slowly as he tried to wrap his head around what I was telling him. Well, it wasn't exactly an easy thing to understand. He was fated to be mine. I was a vampire, a man, a monster, thus the whole _introduce him to the idea slowly_ plan that I stupidly didn't use on an impulse.

"So you're telling me that you feel nothing when we touch?" I grabbed his hand and gazed into his eyes as I felt little pricks of satisfying electricity spark between us.

"And you're telling me that my attraction to you is because of some fated legend thingy... So I haven't got a choice in the matter." He spoke through the haze of emotions swirling in his eyes. On the bright side, malice wasn't one of the emotions visible there.

"Not at all, you could leave at any time, but the fact that you're my fated means that we belong together. You'll never feel the same for anyone else, and I've heard the feeling of loss is crippling when one of a fated pair dies... It's kind of like a short cut for love... but, I think that comparison cheapens it somehow." I looked off to the side, thoughtfully searching for a better simile. When I couldn't come up with one I continued. "But if you really have no want for this you can leave at any time." I said, trying desperately to hide the sadness in my voice.

"I think I get it." He said as the look in his eyes fell decidedly on lust. The points where our hands were touching was full of energy and the sexual tension in the room was suddenly palpable.

"I feel weird." He whispered, his voice had that husky tint to it that sent shivers down my spine, but I couldn't bring myself to see, to hope. If I made any assumptions about his feelings and was wrong then this could end very badly for the both of us. How could I even begin to hope that he wanted me, the monster, in the first place? Then a much more likely thought occurred to me.

"Are you sick, lightheaded," I started to worry and completely abandoned my earlier thoughts. If it was the blood loss I was gonna be so pissed at myself. "is it because I went too far earlier or-" The lips crushing into mine cut me off as his tongue took advantage of my surprise and worked its way into my mouth. I had expected him to be confused or reject me, not this.

His tongue dominated mine before I could even try to protest, but I fought back, I was not a generally submissive person. Before I knew it he was laying on top of me with my back pressed uncomfortably against the floor.

"What happened to complaining about not having a choice?" I gasped as we came up for air. A smirk formed its way into his smile.

"I did have a choice, and I made it. You need someone to see you as a person, not a monster, and that's exactly how I see you. I can give you that." He said hopefully. That gleam of childish trust in his eyes would be something I could never turn my back on.

"I think you might need the same." I cautiously whispered back.


	8. Cause I Feel Like It

**8: 'Cause I Feel Like It**

 **"I smell lemons, I smell lemons. Fields and flowers and cute little umbrellas made of lemons... A lemon salad with a side of lemon toast and lemon water to drink, please? Here you are, a delicious meal of perfectly ripe lemons... If you missed the hint... THERE'S GOING TO BE [R] RATED SHIT IN THIS CHAPTER! Beautiful, glorious, steamy, yaoi-filled [R] rated shit. Run while you still can. The next chapter should already be up by the time you've finished reading this informative little note so you can skip this chapter and move on if you'd like, if it's not, reload your browser and give me a second you impatient little lemon-haters." Rolls eyes dramatically and lays head on laptop. Thinks about giving up... Remembers something completely-ish unrelated...**

 **"AvaTheDarkLord... Yeah, I'm talking to you, you cute little gumdrop that's fallen into my world. You've earned a special place in my halls of fame. Right in between the picture of the Wizard of Oz giving me the finger and that strange thing I'm told is a mix between a fork and a spoon. While all the other people who've read this story (there are over 300 of you in the past 4 days) stayed silent, AvaTheDarkLord consistently reviewed." Smiles happily and does a little jig. "I'm very pleased that I've got a reviewer like Ava, but do the numbers sound a bit _off_ to anyone else... It kind of sounds like the start of a good book; 1 reviewer vs. over 300... There was also that guest reviewer, who was very kind... but come on guys, even if it's just. 'Keep writing' or 'This sucks' I'll accept anything at this point... Wow, long letter. But don't worry, I don't generally write letters, but the lemons got me started and then I was on a roll... I'll shut up now." Sits back quietly and presses the 'Add New Chapter' button.**

* * *

 _ **Luffy's Point of View**_

 *****Steamy [R] Rated Content*****

His eyes held so much sorrow at the mention of me leaving, like it would physically rip him to shreds if I left him, but he tried to hide it, tried his best to keep his pain from me, and that's what made me choose.

 _Someone who will hide how they feel to make a stranger's life better can't be evil, no matter what they are. And what makes a vampire so bad anyway? If this is what being a vampire means then I think it's awesome that that's what he is._ These words went through my mind and I knew. I knew I needed him too.

"I think I get it." In saying those words and thinking those thoughts something clicked into place. The bond between us grew stronger, a pull that made me want to get closer, wrap my arms around him, touch, kiss, talk to, listen to and love him. It all came at once, all those dizzying emotions, and a feeling of lust set in. I needed him in my arms, and like I said, I was never the best at self-control. I wanted nothing more than to claim that man right then and there. It was an odd and alien feeling, but I wasn't questioning it. "I feel weird." Was all I could whisper in warning. It's not like I had time to really go through and tell him all the shit that just went through my head, I had needs too, and his understanding of how my mind worked was a _want,_ not a _need_. In fact, it was a very, _very_ low-level want.

"Are you sick, lightheaded," He misunderstood and a panicked worry set in on his face. I found myself wishing he could just use some kind of vampire magic to read my mind or something. "is it because I went too far earlier or-" I lunged forward, impatiently crashing my lips into his, and started devouring his surprised mouth. That hint had no way of failing.

He fought back in vain as my tongue dominated his. Pushing the vampire to the floor I laid on top of him while our mouths clashed beautifully. He was kind of submissive at first, which bothered me, but then he started fighting, and that lit a fire under me. My hands went to his hair, clawing at it while his did the same to my hips, my back.

"What happened to complaining about not having a choice?" He gasped as we came up for air. Pesky, stupid, annoying need to breathe. Then again, it was easier to look at him from that angle. His messy short hair and those perfect eyes made all the better by his tan skin. He was a bit darker than me, and he was perfect. Perfectly perfect.

"I did have a choice, and I made it. You need someone to see you as a person, not a monster, and that's exactly how I see you. I can give you that." I spoke honestly. When were we going to get back to the kissing? The electricity that sparked between us? The feeling of carnal desire being fulfilled. I already knew the answers to the stuff he was asking me, talking was nowhere near as fun as the feeling of his nails raking the skin of my back. We could always talk after... He seemed to take a moment to consider what I said before responding.

"I think you might need the same." He whispered and, after half a second's consideration, I realized he was right. I was a monster, a fighter, a powerhouse, a demon... and he was a vampire, what a perfect fit. I slammed my lips into his again, but this time, he won the fight for dominance and, to my surprise, rolled over so that he was on top of me. My hands were back in his hair and the next thing I knew he picked me up off the floor and I wrapped my legs around his waist while my fingers gently pulled at his short green hair in a feudal attempt to somehow bring us closer. I needed him to be closer. I needed us to be more connected somehow. My body demanded it.

Setting me on the bed, he gently slid off my red vest, his fingers skimming across my tan skin, the touch completely different from the frenzy we'd both just been in. While the crimson garment fell he placed delicate kisses down my neck and along my chest. When his trail of kisses finally reached the rim of my pants I put my weight on my hands and leaned back, lifting my hips as he slid them down, along with my boxers, to reveal my erection. His eyes were greedy, full of want as he stared down at my exposed body.

 _This is absolutely_ not _how I expected to lose my virginity._ I dazedly thought to myself. I'd never really thought about sex or girls or anything besides the fight, or the friend, or the quest. It was always about making the best of everything, or fighting for a cause, or laughing my ass off at something someone said or did, but this feeling. How had I refused myself this for so long? The undiscovered pleasure I felt brewing within me. How had I been so blind to it? Sure, I knew how sex worked, I'd even jacked off before but damn, who knew the difference another person made. Knowing how to do it with another person and actually doing it, two very separate things.

Climbing back up my body as I slowly leaned back until I laid down under him, he tilted my chin up with calloused fingers to connect our lips again. After a few glorious seconds I was so impatient to feel what came next I rolled over and pinned the aroused vampire to the bed, straddling his covered erection, I gazed down at my shirtless, bandage-covered soon-to-be-lover and felt my cock twitch in anticipation. He was just too damn perfect. In what life did I do something to deserve him? Undoing his black jeans, I slid them and his boxers out from under me and down his legs until they bunched around his big black boots on the floor and became stubbornly impossible to remove, so I gave up. Generally giving up was not my thing, but I was so damn horny. Leaning down I reconnected our lips whilst rubbing my cock against his.

It felt infinitely better than anything I'd ever jacked off against before, and I couldn't restrain the low groan that escaped my throat as Zoro grabbed our cocks and sloppily stroked them, causing me to buck in his grasp. I moved on from his lips to his chin, down his jaw, his neck, that crevice in between his neck and his shoulder. He groaned as a nipped and sucked at that spot. Rubbing my chest against Zoro's I heard him hiss as our nipples brushed together and his free hand moved down to grab my ass but froze.

"What's wrong?" I asked, releasing his neck in my confusion and moving to look him in the eyes. What was with the pausing? I was far too horny for pausing.

"Why are you so willing? We literally just met and I'm not even the same species as you." Seriously?! That's why he stopped?!

I smiled widely, although I'm pretty sure he caught a glimpse of my irritation in it. "'Cause I feel like it."

"Huh?"

"I feel like the closer we are the happier we'll be, and it's not as if I could go be with someone else after experiencing the feelings I get with you. The electricity." I moved my hand to entwine with his, feeling satisfying little sparks bounce through my skin. "I want you. I want you to be all mine and I want everyone to know that this right here," I said, putting my other hand over his heart, "is mine as well." Zoro suddenly flipped us back over so that he was on top of me and leaned down to put his mouth next to my ear.

"There's no way I could let you go now. Not after you said that." He growled, his lips brushing my ear, sending shivers up my spine. "This," he sat up, putting his hand over his heart, "belongs to you, but in exchange," his hand moved so that it now covered my heart, "this is all mine!" His eyes were possessively staring at mine and a new lust-filled smile crept onto my face.

"I think I just might be able to live with that," I said softly. "but you should know, I don't plan on returning yours."

"That's fine with me, but I'm hella possessive of what's mine, and since I have your heart, I think I'll take this perfect body of yours too." His smile was bone-chilling yet somehow his eyes seemed protective. Yeah, I wouldn't be getting my heart back either, but that was fine with me.

"Shut up and fuck me."

* * *

 _ **Zoro's Point of View**_

 *****Steamy [R] Rated Content*****

He was so impossibly different. I felt like I understood exactly how he thought but also like I could never begin to comprehend him. He was such a profound contradiction wrapped up in a slender little body and I began to think that I'd never get used to him, but then again, I had forever to try.

I crashed my lips into his again, restarting the dancing battle in our mouths and he moaned as I began to rub our cocks together with one hand, and pull at his hair with the other. Luffy made a low, needy sound and clutched at my back, clawing at it and making me just as frantic for him, forcing me to move my hips faster. Our cocks slid together, slick with leaking moisture, and my little priest moaned in delight. Our lips unclasped and his head rolled back to give me more room as I kissed my way down his neck, leaving a hickey in the same crevice he left one on me.

The next thing I knew, he broke our connection, pulling away and ripping himself from my arms. Then he moved up further until he sat on his knees in the middle of my bed. At first, I thought he had changed his mind and was trying to run away, but one look in his lecherous eyes and I knew he was beckoning me to join him. I stood up and forced my shoes off my feet, my pants quickly followed. Before climbing fully onto the bed I grabbed a bottle of lotion from my nightstand, I crawled slowly over to him, enjoying the impatient look on his face and the whine of annoyance that escaped his lips.

When I reached him he immediately wrapped his arms around my neck and tugged me down into another kiss, a short, sweet kiss that ended far too quickly. Then he took the lotion from my hand and squirted some on his hand, rubbing it in before reaching behind him. I had expected him to want me to loosen him up, but he, of course, had other plans that consisted of looking far too tempting as he stuck a finger up his ass. His back arching and his erection straining beautifully against the feeling, but the most mesmerizing part of it all was that look on his face. His eyes were half-lidded and they had a perfect, carnal, dangerous look to them that made me want to fuck him right then and there, and that's when he added another finger and his face scrunched up at the feeling before his mouth went slack and his eyes closed, an erotic moan leaving him. He'd found _that_ spot and suddenly I needed to at least touch him, so I wrapped my arms around his slim figure and began attacking his neck with my mouth as I clawed at his back with one hand while the other reached down and wrapped roughly around our erections.

I honestly don't know when he added the third finger, I just remember looking down over his shoulder at some point and seeing it shoved up his ass with the other two. He groaned as I quickened my strokes before he ripped his fingers out and quickly wiped them off on the sheets while using his other hand to shove me down. He climbed on top of me, his form fleetingly reminding me of a cat going in for the kill, without a word he lined himself up with my erection.

"You sure?" I gruffly said, not sure exactly what I was going to do if he suddenly chickened out.

" _You_ belong to _me_ , remember?" I chuckled and he rolled his eyes, but then he lowered himself onto me. He was so hot and so tight, I grabbed his hips in an effort to relax myself, but the look on his face was just so perfect. How was he even capable of making so many glorious expressions? Both of his hands moved to grab mine, pull them off of his hips and pin them to the bed, entwining our fingers together in the process. A loud groan escaped him as he sheathed my cock completely inside his ass. A conflicted, almost painful expression tugged at his lips.

"Take as long as you need." I hadn't meant to say that, it just came out, soft and sweet and nothing like my usual self. But I did mean it.

He nodded slightly and a few seconds later he moved. Oh god, he moved! How I refrained from cumming right then and there was a miracle in and of itself. He pulled me almost completely out of him, and then he slammed down. I groaned out what I thought might be some garbled form of his name, but the delirious moan that came from him was so much sweeter, meant so much more. His back arched and his toes curled at whatever sensation he was getting, then he leaned over me and did it again and again. Pulling me out just to plunge me back in. My hips jerked involuntarily as they helped the process. It felt so far beyond good. We kissed. It was sloppy and rough and so very, very arousing. I moved to kiss his jaw, his neck, his chest. His hands tighten around mine. Then he pulled slightly away and looked me in the eye.

"Mine!" He slammed himself back down on me and I smiled happily for a second because before that moment Luffy had only said that he wanted me, now he had claimed me. "Zoro. Is. Mine." He punctuated each word with a jerk of his hips, pulling me in and out of him as if that somehow made the statement more valid. I moaned a strange but understandable affirmation to his claim as he sped up his movement. In seconds I was nearing the edge. Our breathing was hard and fast as he rammed me into himself at a furious rate, but I needed more. I flipped us over, and he exhaled in surprise, and then I was slamming into him. Our fingers loosened and released each other as we wrapped our arms around one another. Clawing, pulling, grabbing. I reached down and grabbed his neglected cock, stroking it in time with my thrusts. I went balls-deep into him, aiming for that bundle of nerves that made his mouth go slack and his back arch and his toes curl and his entire frame tremble with pleasure.

His hips moved with mine and his legs curled tightly around my waist. Then his body tensed, eyes screwing shut, his teeth biting my shoulder hard enough to hurt, but not break the skin as he rode out his orgasm with a gruff groan, and with a strangled cry that was meant to be his name I joined him in release, pulling him as tight as I possibly could against me. The world momentarily went crimson behind my eyelids and I thought I might pass out until I opened my eyes to see him lying next to me. I didn't remember rolling on my side, or pulling out of him when I finished, but I quickly, gently pulled him to snuggle up next to me while we struggled to catch our breath. The priest pressed his ear to my chest once his breathing had calmed down.

"Mmmm," He hummed drowsily, "this sounds like home." Then he giggled, "Home is where the heart is." I chuckled at his cheesy words.


	9. I Belong To Roronoa Zoro

**9: I Belong to Roronoa Zoro**

* * *

 _ **Luffy's Point of View**_

I woke up in a warm, comfortable, dark place. My arms stretched out around me, searching for something, what did I expect to be there? I was alone, and for some reason, I felt like I was dirty, but when I ran my hand down my bare chest and felt dried sticky stuff, I honestly just didn't care, I was far too tired to care at the moment. Lazily opening my eyes, I realized that I wasn't in the men's dormitory at the school that was functioning as the priest base like I thought I was. The bed was too soft and warm, and the room was too dark. My mind felt foggy and full of cobwebs, but my body apparently knew what to do.

Clumsily stumbling my way out of bed, I landed on what felt like a pile of clothes and a cold, dirty floor. My stomach grumbled and I absentmindedly put the clothes on, not caring enough to search for my shoes. Then I started exploring the strange, small, square room for a light switch, running my hands all over the walls only to find them empty, until I reached a door. It was cold, probably made of metal, and when I pushed on it, it creaked open. Outside was a long hallway, dimly lit by candles in their golden, ornate sconces every ten feet or so. If I hadn't been so hungry, I probably would have been more careful and snuck my way out, but my mind was on my stomach and the part of my brain that registered memories and fear was still sleepily confused as it half-dreamt of zombies, and pirates, and talking skeletons. Mingling fiction with real life as I tried to unravel my thoughts but couldn't while I was so starved, so I decided I'd let myself stay in that delirious state until I found food. Then I could work my way through the important thoughts whilst simultaneously sending the half dreams to the depths of my memories where they would be promptly forgotten.

I walked for what felt like forever. The dreary hallway broke off into separate paths here and there, and I turned down whatever avenue smelled like food. My mind was getting clearer every minute, but it still felt like I'd forgotten something important as a dull ache settled into my hips and back.

"How the hell did you get in here!" I heard a deep voice yell from right in front of me, and I looked up to blink owlishly at two men standing before me.

"Smell that? It's human." A squeakier voice, that came from a tan guy with rounded eyes, a long nose and who was wearing overalls and a bandana, replied.

"What's a human doing here?" Deep-Voice-Man asked incredulously. He had long blonde hair and was covered head to toe by a pitch black cloak. His face looked like that of a cat's, with a goatee that poofed out and reminded me of the mouth of a large feline. Not to mention the fangs...

"No kidding, he looks like he just got out of bed, and what's up with his clothes." Mouse Man spoke and I realized that they both had fangs. Suddenly my adrenaline kicked in and my head cleared as I recalled where I was and why I probably should have stayed put. My stomach growled, I was just so damn hungry.

 _Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Where's Zoro?!_ My hand reached for the knives in my vest, but I knew before I went for them that they weren't there because I didn't feel there reassuring weight tugging at my shoulders. _I'm defenseless, what the hell am I supposed to do?!... Bluff?_ My thoughts were racing through my head as I thought of the slim possibilities of a plan that might save me. I'd been told countless times that I was a terrible liar, so I went with a different tactic.

"I belong to Roronoa Zoro." I said, concentrating on looking stupid and dazed and, hopefully, not tasty at all. I thought that maybe saying that would make me feel differently on the inside. That publicly tying myself to someone else would make me feel lower, weaker, but that wasn't the case. One the contrary, I felt stronger.

"Oh, so he brought a treat back with him." Deep-Voice chuckled and greedily glanced up and down my body. Damn pervert. Why wasn't I just kicking their asses, again? Oh yeah, no weapons. Plus Zoro probably wouldn't appreciate me beating his comrades to a bloody pulp. That would be plan B.

"Don't get any funny ideas Absalom, you know it's death to all who steal from a vampire, especially when it comes to stealing from Master Zoro." This Absalom person was the one with the deep voice. My stomach made a low whining noise. What was the plan, again? The plan involved food, right?

"Shut up Usopp. I only want a taste, it's not like I'm going to drain him dry." Usopp seemed more cowardly and weak. I don't know why, but he seemed familiar and I liked him. He was interesting.

"Your funeral, I guess. Just don't drag me down with you." Usopp said as he walked passed me, in the opposite direction of which they came.

"Come up with a good lie for me, would ya?"

"Why should I? Do you know what Master Zoro would do to me if he caught me lying about something like this?!"

"Because it's what you're good at. Come on, for me. I-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Usopp shrugged as he turned a corner out of sight. So Usopp could lie, well now I really wanted to get to know him.

"So little human, it's just you and me now." Absalom turned back to me and sneered forebodingly, his eyes greedy. Shitty pervert. Why was he so keen on screwing with me anyway? Just because I was human? That brought my original plan back to me just in time. I was supposed to be acting like a stupid human that couldn't possibly be considering kicking his ass.

"I am Master Roronoa Zoro's." I said, adding 'master' to the mix because it's what Usopp called my lover and I hoped it'd help Absalom lose interest, or that Zoro would return and I could learn whether or not that's what he was meant to be called. Not that I could really see myself calling anyone master for any real length of time. I'd never particularly cared for titles.

"Well then, would you like to know a secret?" He spoke as if talking to a small child and I nodded excitedly. I always loved hearing secrets, I was real good at keeping them too.

"Blood tastes best when soaked in fear!" He yelled as he lunged at me, pinning me to the ground. I tried to rip my wrists out of his hands, but his grip was too tight for that.

"You feel that? Adrenaline is pumping through your veins, the smell of fear is oozing from your skin, and your heart's beating a mile a minute. I told you fear-soaked blood was the absolute best, didn't I? But it's not enough for me, I need the taste of hopelessness mixed in as well, and that's where your skinny little body helps out." Releasing my left hand and grabbing my crotch, he squeezed and I cried out in pain. My stomach felt as if it were being twisted and my nether-regions weren't fairing much better.

With my numb and boring charade definitely ten leagues past blown, I punched at his face with my free hand as hard as I could and his head snapped back from the impact forcing him to let go of my sensitive flesh. He quickly got ahold of my hand and put it with my other one, pinning both my hands over my head with his right hand while his left cupped my face almost tenderly, as though I were a child or lover. I felt my stomach heave at the thought. God, I was hungry.

Leaning forward so that he was just centimeters from my face he whispered, "That's right, fight back. It will make your blood taste all the better." He reached down and grabbed a fistful of the fabric of my red vest and ripped it sideways, away from us. It pulled at my shoulders only slightly, it was already rather tattered from the battle I'd fought in it, so it didn't take much for the bastard to tear it off of me. Then he scraped his fingernails down my chest with just enough pressure to bring a trickle of blood to the surface. Bending down lower he licked it up only to jump off of me a second later, spitting the blood to the floor.

"What is this god-awful, salty taste!" He screamed, disgusted. Realizing suddenly that I came all over myself last night and that I hadn't had a shower yet, I couldn't help the small giggle that escaped my lips as I turned to run the hell away but was quickly caught by my right arm and slammed back into the cement floor. My vision flickered for a second and my head was abruptly pounding, the pain radiating out from the back of it, from the force with which he used. I felt hot liquid stick to my hair.

"You little bastard!" He yelled, pulling me up and causing my world to seem to spin before pinning me to the wall with my arms above my head again. He leaned down, bringing his teeth to my neck.

"ZORO!" I screamed the name of my last hope, briefly recalling when that name had been Ace. Like a flash, all those memories with my big brother Ace came to the forefront of my mind. When we laughed, when we fought, when we cried... When he died.

"Hello, Absalom." Came a beautifully familiar, but horribly angry, voice that I instantly recognized at Zoro's.

"Oh, uh, Master Roronoa, um, I was just catching this little escape artist for you." His voice shook with fear as he tried to appease the pissed off vampire. When the hell was I trying to escape? Damn shitty bastard pervert. Zoro looked to me for an explanation, but that same angry scowl stayed on his face and his nostrils were flared. I realized he could probably smell my blood. Hell, even _I_ could smell my blood.

"I was hungry." I started taking, but my voice sounded dull and tired. Did anyone else hear a high pitched ringing in their ears? "I just wanted some meat, and you weren't there, and I was really sleepy and starving so I wasn't really thinking rationally... Sorry." Zoro rolled his eyes and started walking towards us.

"God, Luffy, what am I going to do with y-" He cut off, looking down to see that he had stepped in the blood from my, still aching, head. Then his eyes returned to their angry state and he stared at poor pervert Absalom like he was going to rip the guy's throat out. Why couldn't we all just shake hands, apologize, give me some food and go the fuck to bed? I was getting sick of all the killing. Hadn't we killed enough dumb assholes and innocent dicks?

"Absalom," He spoke in a voice that was deadly calm. "Would you like to know what the meeting will be about later?"

"Y-Yes?" The strange pervert stuttered, unsure of Zoro's sudden change of topic.

"I've found my fated."

"Really? That's so rare, even for vampires. So, who is she?" Absalom was completely unaware of the danger he was in as he held me to the wall.

"Actually, I believe you've already met Luffy." Zoro said as the horrified vampire slowly followed his gaze back to me. Well shit. It seemed shaking hands was out of the question if I was reading Zoro's face right.


	10. Apologies

**10: Apologies**

* * *

 _ **Zoro's Point of View**_

"You didn't have to kill him." Luffy pouted, crossing his arms over his bare chest like a small child.

"Look at what he did to you! How the hell can you defend him after that?!" I yelled incredulously as I finished wrapping his head in bandages, then gently moved his arms to his knees so I could start on his chest. My own wounds ached under my white t-shirt, having sex last night probably wasn't the best thing for them either, but I ignored them and continued working on him.

"He didn't know who I was and I'm in his territory. What he did wasn't right, but he didn't deserve to die for it. Kicking his ass would've been enough." Luffy's chest was still damp from bathing but I continued wrapping him the way he had wrapped me last night, not too tight but not too loose either. If he were anyone else I probably would be telling him off, but he was Luffy, and when I was around him I seemed to gain a bit more patience.

"This is my territory, not his. He knew you were mine and yet he still tried to-"

"It doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done." He whispered, but the pout didn't leave his lips. I felt bad, not because I'd killed Absalom, the dumb shit deserved it, but because I'd done it in front of Luffy. The man seemed intent on only killing someone when he was on a battlefield or didn't have another choice. Why he chose to defend Absalom of all people could only be defended by his strange sense of morality.

"Done." I said, tucking the last bandage into place, but the look in his eyes told me he was still unhappy with me, maybe even a little depressed. Leaning down I rested my forehead on his shoulder and closed my eyes. We were sitting cross-legged on the floor in my room and we'd been arguing ever since he'd gotten out of the shower. Why did that perverted bastard have to go and attack Luffy? If the jackass had kept his hands to his fucking self then I wouldn't have had to fight with my fated.

Luffy sighed and relaxed a little as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and took in my scent. I wondered what he smelled in me that calmed him so quickly. In my opinion, I probably smelled like sweat, blood, and sex, as I'd yet to shower. But my little priest, on the other hand, his scent was pleasant. Like an ocean filled with roses, salty and sweet, but also warm like the summer sun.

"I don't like death." He whispered, pulling me out of my thoughts. "I've only ever killed to protect. I've protected the poor, countries at war, and, most recently, the fake priests that the real ones used to fight with... I know you want to protect me, but there's a fine line between protection and revenge. What you did... there was no more danger, he wouldn't have hurt me anymore." He was right, I had killed Absalom out of anger. Damn, since when did I admit when I was wrong?

"What's done is done," I whispered as he began to stroke my hair. It felt nice. "I'm sorry."


	11. Twenty Questions

**11: Twenty Questions**

* * *

 _ **Zoro's Point of View**_

"Sunlight doesn't burn us, it's just really bright and hurts our eyes," I explained. "Kind of like if a human were to hold a lit candle to their eyes. Hurts like hell... Okay, your turn." Luffy thought playing 20 questions back and forth would be a good way to get to know each other. I thought it was a bit childish, but I was quickly learning that the man himself was almost completely childish.

"What's your favorite color?" My little priest giggled at my question. "What? It's a serious question."

"Well... It used to be red but I think it might be green now." He said thoughtfully, a strange look on his face.

"Why green?"

"Can't tell you." Was his smug response.

"Why not?" I challenged and a mischevious glint entered his eyes.

"'Cause it's not your turn." He giggled and I huffed a sigh at his child-like antics

"Fine. Ask your question."

"...Crosses?"

"Myth. We're not actually demons you know. We're just not human." I sighed again and leaned back on my headboard while he leaned on the footboard of my bed and took another bite of the last piece of chicken on his plate. "So, why green?" I restated my question.

"'Cause Zoro's eyes are green." He replied simply. Wasn't my hair green too, why'd he point out my eyes? That question just brought a blush to my cheeks and I tried to hide it by distracting him with the game.

"Your turn." I said, quickly looking down at the bed.

"Is Zoro blushing?" When I looked up to deny it Luffy's face was just centimeters away from mine as he looked expectantly into my eyes with his deep chocolate ones that always found a way of drawing me in.

"The hell!" I sat up in surprise, bumping our heads together.

"Ow." He sounded annoyed as he rubbed the fast appearing red mark on his head.

"Oops, sorry, are you okay? Do you ne-"

"I'm fine. Calm down, it's not that bad so don't freak out." He sighed and looked up at me. His deep brown eyes peered at me from under those long lashes of his and I couldn't help but get lost in them and completely forget about what we'd been talking about. Damn those mesmerizing orbs. Without thinking about it, I smashed my lips into his and pushed him back until he was laying on the bed with me on top of him, my hips in between his legs. His empty plate clattered noisily to the floor, but neither of us cared as our tongues danced in our mouths in an awkward waltz that soon became beautiful until I broke it off and slowly trailed kisses down his throat until I felt the place on his neck where the blood flowed the strongest.

"May I?" I whispered, feeling him shiver under me as my breath brushed his skin.

"Greedy demon." He chuckled, I could practically feel him rolling his eyes.

"Compassionate priest." I whispered as I licked his soft skin in preparation.

"How do you change a human into a vampire?" He asked suddenly.

"Why do you want to know?" Did he think my biting him would turn him? No, I'd bitten him before, so he had to know that's not how it worked.

"No reason." I shrugged, it was an innocent enough question, why not answer it?

"We drain enough of our prey's blood so that they'll only last a few more seconds. Then we give them some of our blood. Their blood becomes a catalyst for ours, causing it to multiply at an extraordinary rate, and eventually, our blood overpowers the humans and destroys what's left of theirs. In the end, this process creates an almost immortal creature with unbreakable skin, except when it comes to silver, and heightened senses... Or, at least that's what my creator told me."

"Was that word for word what he told you?" He asked, absentmindedly running his hand through my hair. Did he know how amazingly relaxing that felt?

"How'd you know?"

"It didn't sound like your words."

I chuckled as I closed my mouth around his throat. _He knows me so well already._


	12. A Debt

**12: A Debt**

* * *

 _ **Zoro's Point of View**_

It was my last mission before I retired. I wasn't going to continue fighting priests when my fated was one, but I owed a debt to an old friend and she'd begrudgingly said it was okay if I knocked them out instead of killing them. After she yelled at me to get the fuck over it of course. Stupid Nami.

I was dancing around the battlefield, hitting every priest I came in contact with, with the back of my blade.

 _Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it._ I thought to myself as my mind kept making connections between those I fought and my fated. One wore a red cloak. Another had a similar hat. They could have known each other. They could have been friends. _Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it._

"ZORO!" I turned to see my beloved shooting a priest in the arm who had aimed his gun at me. His red vest had been replaced by a new one and when my gaze went to his eyes I saw they were like ice, he was pissed.

"Luffy?! What the hell are you doing here?!" I said as I used my sword to deflect a knife away from his head. Well, I was fucking pissed too.

"Looking for you, stupid! I thought you said you weren't going to do this anymore!" He yelled over the commotion. Why, oh, why did humans have to be so damn reckless and so fucking breakable at the same time?

"I owe a debt to a friend. I figured I'd get this over with and then we could move away." I explained as quickly as possible while slamming the back of my sword into the gut of a priest who'd been about to attack me. He fell to the ground clutching his abdomen.

"Why didn't you tell me?! I could've been here helping you sooner!" Two knives flew from his hand, hitting a priest in the arms and pinning him to the ground. _That's why he's pissed?! Seriously?!_

"I won't ask you to kill for me!" I yelled back. "Go home Luffy! This isn't your fight!" Suddenly a sharp object came flying at me, hitting me in my left eye before I could dodge or block it. I froze as I felt the silver burn the area around the wound.

"ZORO!" I heard my little priest scream in the background, and as the pain finally sent me to the ground he caught me. Pulling the blade from my eye, he ripped the bandana from my head and wrapped it tightly around my wound. I saw him holding back tears with my good eye. _A crazed vampire trying to rape him doesn't make him cry, but me losing an eye brings those tears to the surface? What the hell kind of fucked up logic is that?_ I was about to reassure him and point out that little fact when someone else spoke up. I'd almost forgotten I was in the middle of a battlefield.

"Why are you helping this demon Luffy?!" A familiar voice asked angrily. Oh, now I was REALLY pissed. I knew that voice. I fucking knew the bastard that owned that voice.

"I love him, why the hell wouldn't I help him, Lucci!" I dully realized that that was the first time either of us had actually said we loved the other and a part of me wanted to kiss my little priest right then and there, but the acute pain in my eye and the danger radiating all around us forced that part of me deep down inside of myself. I could make love to him later, when our lives weren't at risk.

"You can't seriously mean that! He's not even human!" His voice was full of disgust and a low growl that I'm pretty sure only Luffy and I could hear rumbled up my throat.

"He's not a demon either!" I finally managed to look up and see Lucci. He was covered in blood, none of which seemed to belong to him.

"He's lied to you. Tricked you into fighting for him." The bastard snarled angrily.

"I'd never lie to my fated!" I said defiantly. Who did this bitch think he was insulted our bond like that? Not that he'd known about it when he insulted it, but still.

"Oh, so that fated BS really does exist." A smile as maniacal as they come crept onto his face. "I know how to fix this." He came at Luffy, pointing his new scythe at his head, but I moved to a crouch, ignoring my tired mind and blocked him just in time. We started exchanging blows back and forth, neither of us gaining any ground. We were too evenly matched, even though I had three blades and he had one. We were of equal strength and speed, especially since I was tired and injured. But even if I wasn't it wouldn't have been a surprise to find him on the winning side of this war against creatures stronger than him. He wasn't one of those fake priests that the real ones forced to fight for them. He was the real deal and had probably trained his whole life to fight vampires.

I was too focused on his scythe, too concentrated on protecting my lover, too prideful and self-assured of my impending win to notice. The only warning I got came from the dagger that embedded itself in his left arm, but when he ignored it so did I. I figured Luffy was trying to help, and he was, but I was too wrapped up in the fight to see the more important detail. To see the small dagger he drew in his free hand until it had landed in my leg, forcing me to stumble and fall to my knee. I saw the blade of his scythe swing toward me and knew I didn't have enough time to respond. Then, out of nowhere, I was pushed back, red fabric filled my vision and the smell of familiar blood hit my nose. Faster than his body could fall, the monsters scythe turned and slashed across his chest a second time. My blades fell from my mouth and hands.

"LUFFY!" I yelled at the top of my lungs as if begging life to rewind, just this once, so that I could take his place. I caught him in my arms as he fell to the ground, the familiar weight of his body had turned limp. The man I'd held in my arms as we kissed just the other day was dying in them now.

"No, no, no, no, no. NO! I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU DIE!" I yelled at his crimson coated body. His chest was covered in blood that began to pool around us as he coughed up even more.

"Well, that didn't go as planned." Lucci complained as if he were talking about a broken nail. I bit into my lover's neck to take all but the last of his blood, leaving enough so that what he lost would actually help in my endeavor.

"Tsk, he defended you and now you're eating his corpse. Fated, what a load of shit." Lucci said as I let go of Luffy's neck and dug my nails into my palm until it bled, then I let my blood trickle into his mouth.

 _Please let it work. Please let it work. Please let it work!_ I thought to myself as I looked at his body for some sort of a response. It had to work. I'd rather die if it didn't. The insistent tug at my heart that I had felt since the moment I looked into his eyes was slowly fading, and filling the void it left behind was a wall of agonizing loneliness.

"Please." I whispered silently, asking life to give me just this one favor. Screw me over on everything else till the end of time, but give me this... I got a response alright, but it was the exact opposite of what I wanted. I heard his heart flutter to a stop. "No." I whispered.

"What, are you going to beg for your life now?" The idiot priest who'd been looking at me as though I'd gone insane misunderstood. My world was over. There was no point in continuing on. Tears streaked down my face and a feeling of overwhelming loss came over me. That connection, the sparks, his smiling face. It was all over, I'd never see or hear or feel him again.

"Why haven't you killed me yet?" I asked the first question my beloved had asked me. Oh, how the tables had turned. Except, the man in front of me now was a bastard, and the perfect creature lying dead in my arms was my broken red thread of fate.

"What? Do you have a death wish or something?" A valid question. A question I probably would have asked Luffy if he hadn't been so impossibly perfect for me in the most interesting and off-putting of ways. If he hadn't been fated for me. If _I_ hadn't been fated for _him_.

"No point continuing on if I've got no reason to live." He had said something similar. I remembered our first meeting well, and now that I was in a similar situation I understood why he had seemed so willing to die at my hand. He had nothing left to live for but himself, and that's not a good enough reason when you've run out of options.

I saw the glint of the scythe as if came for my neck.


	13. A Life

**13: A Life**

* * *

 _ **Zoro's Point of View**_

I closed my eyes, anticipating the impact of the silver blade. Preparing to die by decapitation and vaguely wondering if I would even feel it as my head was removed from my body. Then two things happened at once; a familiar heartbeat rang in my ears causing my eyes to snap open, and a tan, blood-soaked hand reached out and stopped the scythe. _He's alive!_

"What the hell?" Lucci's voice sounded small and insignificant compared to the heartbeat resounding in my ears. The magnetic pull came back, stronger than ever and Luffy was suddenly crouching in front of me.

"Why?" The ex-priest's question was not directed at me. "Why can't you just leave us alone? Why would you try to kill him?" His small shoulders shuttered as he spoke of my death and his rage at the whole prospect surrounded him in a dangerous aura. He was pissed and I couldn't seem to bring myself to care. I was far too preoccupied in his scent filling the air around us, blood staining its purity or not, and his voice, and the pull that tugged at my very soul and made me want to hold him to me. Made me want to kiss him and clutch him to my chest and never let him go again.

"You changed him." The older priest whispered in realization, but after the shock wore off, his face became calm and calculating. "...Remember that speech you gave to the new recruits. You said to remember that all this was to save their families." Rage filled my chest. Was this jackass seriously trying to get Luffy to change sides?

"I said it was to save them from starvation, from you, not from the vampires!" Lucci took a step back, consequently removing the scythe from Luffy's hand, stunned. He looked as though he'd just been punched in the gut. All of his plans were failing before his eyes and there was nothing he could do about it.

"You remember?! But I thought vampires awoke without memories?" He seemed to remember that this was a fight and raised his weapon defensively, but his mind still remained preoccupied with the outrageousness of the situation. The priest he'd just killed stood before him as the enemy.

"I have my fated, you can't twist my words..." His muscles tensed as he prepared to fight. "I'm gonna kick your ass!" Luffy growled as he lunged for his old superiors throat.

* * *

 ** _Luffy's Point of View_**

I was moving without walking. My body bounced slightly as someone carried me in their arms. My legs wobbled over one arm while my head rested on the other and my arms were curled up on top of me while I snuggled into a familiar chest. I could hear everything, people, insects, heartbeats, everything. It was so loud, too loud. My head ached from all the confusing sounds. I was tired and confused, and all the noise crowding my head wasn't helping anything.

 _Make it stop. Make it stop!_ I tried to say but couldn't speak through all the noises. _No one would be able to hear me over all of this anyway._ Except I had a feeling that there was someone who could. That if I only spoke up, Zoro would come to my rescue, but this was _my_ head I was dealing with, and I wasn't some damn girl that needed rescuing all the time. I vaguely remembered ripping into General Lucci's throat with my bare hands. I'd saved Zoro and killed Lucci, and I needed to deal with this new issue on my own. I sifted through the sounds, I needed something to focus on. One thing to tune out the rest. My mind immediately focused on a heartbeat. It was going a little fast, but it still calmed me. It reverberated through me and made me feel safe. Sadly, that's when my attention turned to my nose. Grass, dirt, animals, manure, sweet, salty, every scent that had ever vaguely hit my nose now bombarded me. _Treat it like you did sound._ I calmly thought to myself as I searched for one that would overpower the rest. It didn't take long and, although I could smell more in it, I knew it was Zoro. It was like freshly fallen snow, clear and refreshing, but it was warm as well. Almost like the snow was falling in the middle of summer, so it mixed with the scent of grass and flowers. There was also a tinge of wet soil, yet, strangely enough, it all blended together perfectly. Still, a tinge of blood mixed in and once I noticed it, it almost overpowered his scent. It was as if the vampire had bathed in blood with how badly it tainted his scent and I had to focus on ignoring that.

"Zoro..." My whisper was barely audible, even to me. How was he supposed to hear me if I almost couldn't?

"Good morning my little newborn priest." He whispered just as quietly. "We're almost back home." His voice seemed like music, and I could now hear every cadence of it. My eyes fluttered open to see a noonday sky, but something was wrong.

"Where's the sun?"

"It's morning, the sun hasn't even hit the horizon yet." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Then why's the sky so bright." The normally blue sky seemed to be completely tainted with orange, as though the sun was out, but just invisible.

"Oh... Well, I guess the morning sky looks dimmer to humans, I wouldn't know. You'll just have to get used to it, this is the only sky you'll be able to look at without it hurting from now on."

"Why?" I asked, finally turning my gaze to my vampire lover, only to gasp in shock. I could see every one of his veins, his skin seemed almost translucent.

"Because you're a vampire now... Oh," he said in realization as he noticed my shocked stare, "that'll go away after you've eaten. Your eyes are just showing you the best places on my body to get sustenance." The sky suddenly disappeared as we entered the tunnel leading to Zoro's den.

 _He's been running this whole time so he couldn't have been that injured from... from..._

"OH SHIT!" My voice rang in my ears and I slapped my hands over them in a failed attempt to block out the sound.

"What's wrong?" Zoro said quietly after I recovered, panic making its way into his voice.

"Zoro, your eye, and your leg, and my chest!" I whispered urgently while trying to see his eye under his bandana.

"You got a scythe to the chest, but all you're trying to see is my eye..." He chuckled morbidly as he silently used his foot to open his door, then walked over and laid me on the bed, before going back to quietly shut it. "Luffy you... What would I have... You could have... Why? Why would you do something so reckless and stupid?" His shoulders were tense, as if he held the weight of the world on them, and his hands were still resting against the door. I imagined him applying enough pressure in his frustration to snap it off its hinges. He could probably do it too. I looked down at the bed, the candlelight from the chandelier making my shadow dance, and thought over Zoro's question.

"I wasn't thinking... One moment I was watching Lucci about to kill you, and the next I was standing between the two of you... The only thing I remember going through my mind was 'Anyone but him.' Anyway, what would I have done if you had died? I should be pissed at you."

"Why do you have to be so much like-... Nevermind." The quickly calming vampire sighed, turning around to look tiredly at me before running his hand through his hair. His white shirt was stained with blood, but the crimson liquid blended in with his black pants. Still, I knew he was drenched in the substance and I felt the same gore drying on myself.

"Like who?" I wanted to know, and I was never one to give up easily.

"No one." He took a few steps forward, annoyance in his posture.

"Like who, Zoro?" I asked defiantly.

"LIKE ME YOU IDIOT!" He yelled, but I had gotten used to the rising sound in the room and it didn't hurt my ears so bad.

He was right, we were exactly alike. Both of us willing to die for the other, and as that realization hit so did a very different urge. Leaping up from the bed, I wrapped my arms around his neck and tackled my lover to the ground, placing my mouth at his throat, kissing, and then licking it, as he had done mine not too long ago.

"May I?" I asked sheepishly, our _fight_ , if that's what it was, already being forgotten.

"Greedy priest." He chuckled.

"Compassionate demon." I giggled back before resting my mouth on his throat, my new fangs aiming for the place where the blood flowed the strongest.


	14. Screwy Luck and Future Misadventures

**14: Screwy Luck and Future Misadventures**

* * *

 _ **Zoro's Point of View**_

"If you stand out here any longer the sun will come up and you'll hurt your eyes." I chuckled as I walked up behind the young priest.

"So... Besides, I still have another hour before sunrise and you know it."

We stood on the hill behind our home. It had been 2 months since Luffy's death and rebirth, and we had left the vampires and priests to their pointless wars. We now lived on a beautiful hillside about half a mile outside of a quaint little village. Our house was old and rotted and covered in cobwebs and cracked windows, but that was okay because we didn't live _in_ it. We lived _under_ it. A long time ago this place was a safe house from some, long forgotten, war. We renovated and now it was a luxurious home, hidden underground, away from noisy humans and bright lights.

"Did I ever tell you about my brother?" Luffy asked offhandedly.

"I didn't know you have a brother."

"I don't. He's dead."

"Oh."

"This is the third red vest I've had since I met you." He stated and I sighed at his sudden change in topic.

"Luffy, what's wrong?"

"It's Ace's birthday today."

"That's your brother?"

"Yeah... I almost saved him back then, but he sacrificed himself for me."

"Oh." I didn't know what to say.

Luffy suddenly cupped his hands around his mouth and screamed at the sky, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY ACE!"

"Shit," I mumbled to myself. "This idiot is just prone to screwy luck and future misadventures." I whispered, but a smile crept it's way onto my face. _Maybe we both are._

 ** _THE END_**


End file.
